Press Review – March 22, 2019

“Why it is critical to shut the door on Hezbollah entirely” (comment)

Sir John Jenkins, The Jewish Chronicle

The Home Secretary’s move against Hezbollah should be commended, not criticised. His decision will have been based on a hard calculation of our interests not just in Lebanon but in the wider Middle East, where Iran and its allies represent the most serious threat to stability – and indeed globally, where terror, intolerance, criminality and sedition should never be countered with naivety or an unwillingness to recognize the true nature of an adversary. Read more…

“Syria’s Civil War Is Now 3 Civil Wars” (argument)

Jonathan Spyer, Foreign Policy

The fight to depose Assad is over. The battle over his regime’s boundaries has no end in sight. Read more…

“Jeremy Hunt announces UK will oppose anti-Israel measures at the UN Human Rights Council” (news report)

Lee Harpin, The Jewish Chronicle

Foreign Secretary says ‘Item 7’, the UNHRC’s dedicated focus on Israel and Occupied Territories ‘undermines the credibility of the world’s leading human rights forum’ Read more…

“Rockets fired from Gaza target Tel Aviv for first time since 2014” (news report)

Oliver Holmes, The Guardian

Militants in Gaza have fired two rockets towards Tel Aviv, the first such attack since the war between Israel and Hamas in 2014. Israel has responded by attacking what it called “terror sites” in Gaza. Read more…

“Towards a consensus on National Security issues?” (analysis)

Jonathan Spyer, Fathom Journal

To what extent is the current Israeli election campaign dominated by national security issues, as has historically been the case? Jonathan Spyer argues that a new consensus over national security issues is emerging in Israeli politics that stretches across the political spectrum, leading the main parties to focus on the different personalities, and not the different policies, of the parties. Read more…

“Neither Israel nor Iran Trust Russia. But Only Putin Can Prevent War Between Them” (opinion)

Shimon Stein, Shlomo Brom, Haaretz

Iran and Israel would never volunteer to place crucial national security interests in the Kremlin’s hands. But they need a third party to umpire their conflict in Syria – and there’s no other option. Read more…

“Last week’s rocket fire on Tel Aviv reflects schism within Hamas” (analysis)

Shlomi Eldar, Al Monitor

People tend to assume that Hamas’ political leadership keeps its military wing under iron discipline and that everyone obeys its dictates. However, the truth is that there are sharp disagreements between the political and military leadershipsRead more…

“Donors pledge $7B in aid for Syria, refugees” (news report)

Lorne Cook, AP/ The Washington Post

International donors have pledged around $7 billion in aid for Syria and Syrian refugees who fled the conflict-ravaged country, the European Union announced Thursday, as the war enters its ninth year. Read more…

“Polish President to ‘Post’: Israel Started the Crisis and It Needs to End It” (interview)

Yaakov Katz, The Jerusalem Post

A month after a crisis erupted between Israel and Poland over Polish history of the Holocaust, Polish President Andrzej Duda outlined a path on Thursday for how it can be resolved, saying that the first move must be made by Israel. Read more…